Terrorism related bust in Queens

Police raided a house in Queens shared by four Afghan men and arrested at least one of the occupants.

Four other homes were also searched in what Edith Honan of Reuters is describing as a "terrorism probe:

New York City police and the FBI raided homes in the borough of Queens early on Monday as part of an investigation into suspected terrorism, focusing on one man who has been under surveillance, officials said. Authorities searched at least two apartments including one shared by five Afghan men, taking some of them in for questioning, said one man who was questioned.

Members of U.S. Congress briefed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation said there was no imminent danger.

"There was nothing imminent, and they are very good now at tracking potentially dangerous actions and this was preventive," said Charles Schumer, a U.S. Senator from New York who was among those briefed by FBI officials.

A man who identified himself as Amanullah Akbar, a 30-year-old taxi driver, said the FBI raided the apartment he shares with four other Afghan men at 2:30 a.m. (1630 GMT)

He was brought in for questioning and released and said he had no idea why his home was targeted, adding that he believed one of his roommates was arrested.

A neighbor said she saw FBI agents armed with what she called machine guns storm the apartment building, and that one of them emerged carrying a box.

The New York Times is reporting that the suspects shared a "Militant ideology sympathetic to al Qaeda..." Gee...what a surprise.

It is unknown why the FBI was keeping an eye on the suspect nor why they chose this moment to pop the trap. The spectacle of Senator Schumer going out and basically saying "All is well" is not very convincing.

I suppose we'll have to wait for the rest of the story to come out when someone starts talking.

Police raided a house in Queens shared by four Afghan men and arrested at least one of the occupants.

Four other homes were also searched in what Edith Honan of Reuters is describing as a "terrorism probe:

New York City police and the FBI raided homes in the borough of Queens early on Monday as part of an investigation into suspected terrorism, focusing on one man who has been under surveillance, officials said. Authorities searched at least two apartments including one shared by five Afghan men, taking some of them in for questioning, said one man who was questioned.

Members of U.S. Congress briefed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation said there was no imminent danger.

"There was nothing imminent, and they are very good now at tracking potentially dangerous actions and this was preventive," said Charles Schumer, a U.S. Senator from New York who was among those briefed by FBI officials.

A man who identified himself as Amanullah Akbar, a 30-year-old taxi driver, said the FBI raided the apartment he shares with four other Afghan men at 2:30 a.m. (1630 GMT)

He was brought in for questioning and released and said he had no idea why his home was targeted, adding that he believed one of his roommates was arrested.

A neighbor said she saw FBI agents armed with what she called machine guns storm the apartment building, and that one of them emerged carrying a box.

The New York Times is reporting that the suspects shared a "Militant ideology sympathetic to al Qaeda..." Gee...what a surprise.

It is unknown why the FBI was keeping an eye on the suspect nor why they chose this moment to pop the trap. The spectacle of Senator Schumer going out and basically saying "All is well" is not very convincing.

I suppose we'll have to wait for the rest of the story to come out when someone starts talking.